Headsets, microphones, and other communication devices used for detecting, converting, and transmitting acoustic signals are, in some conventional solutions, used in connection with skin surface microphones (“SSM”). However, conventional solutions can be problematic in that skin contact may be inadequate or an SSM may have experienced a hardware, firmware, electronic, electrical, mechanical, or other type of failure. Conventional acoustic voice activity detectors (AVAD) have been used to supplement SSM-based voice activity detectors (VAD) and, in some conventional solutions, a final VAD was based on a logical OR determination between a conventional AVAD and a conventional SSM VAD:final VAD=AVAD OR SSM VAD.
Subsequently, an AVAD was “tuned” (i.e., configured) to reduce the number of false positives such as a false indication of speech being present, which can hamper denoising, while allowing some types of false negatives such as a false indication of no speech present, which can cause devoicing. Typically, conventional solutions seek to balance improving denoising performance against devoicing. However, this balance typically leads to overall performance quality being reduced.
Furthermore, detection and decision logic in conventional solutions is often implemented on headsets that default to a SSM VAD if skin contact is indicated in order to reduce false AVAD indications that speech is not present, which can be problematic due to diffuse noises (i.e., noises from a background or rear (i.e., “back”) source). Using conventional solutions, diffuse noises can result in AVAD false negative indications (i.e., no speech detected). Further, conventional solutions are problematic in highly reverberant environments, such as wearing a headset close to a side window in a moving vehicle, which can also lead to AVAD false negative indications. Using conventional solutions, the greater the number of false negative indications that occur, the higher the degree to which speech can be devoiced, thus reducing the effectiveness of a conventional headset or communication device. Conventional solutions are problematic in reducing false negative indications that speech is not present and can lead to inadvertent and undesirable devoicing.
Thus, what is needed is an acoustic voice activity detector without the limitations of conventional solutions.